Federal Judge Orders Michigan Recount to Begin Monday

A federal judge ruled late Sunday that Michigan must begin its recount of the presidential election by noon on Monday. In the ruling, Judge Mark Goldsmith rejected any effort by state officials—who said the cost to taxpayers was an undue burden—to delay the recount ahead of a Dec. 13 deadline. Goldsmith ruled that Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee, proved “the likelihood of irreparable harm” in delaying the recount by even a few days. President-elect Donald Trump won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote by more than 2.5 million. In Michigan, he defeated Hillary Clinton by only 10,704 votes. Stein earned only about 1 percent of the vote in that state.